This invention relates to drawer slides and more particularly to a novel drawer slide assembly having an anti-racking device for use in lateral file cabinets.
Prior lateral file cabinets, i.e., file cabinets which have drawers which are wider than they are deep, are particularly susceptible to racking. When the drawer is pushed in or out there is a tendency for one side to extend further into the cabinet than the other, and in such instances the slide members can bind up so that the drawer does not slide easily. In order to prevent this phenomenon, a number of anti-racking systems have been utilized. For example, cables have been used to connect two side slides of the drawer together so that any inward or outward force on one side of the drawer is transmitted equally to the other side. Such systems are also used on drafting boards to prevent one side from getting ahead of the other. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,505 and 3,385,639 show such devices. Other anti-racking systems utilize rod and gear arrangements across the back of the drawer to accomplish the same result.
Problems with racking are particularly acute in heavy insulated lateral filing cabinets. In such cabinets it is particularly important that the anti-racking device be strong and resistant to wear because of the shocks it can receive from the sudden movements of a heavy drawer. Cables and roller arrangements and rod and gear arrangements are less suitable as anti-racking devices in such cabinets since by their nature they are relatively delicate devices which are susceptible to damage from continuous use, are relatively complex and must be installed with precision.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages with relatively simple and strong anti-racking device which is effective, easy and inexpensive to install and resistant to wear.